St. Cornelius was elected to succeed St. Fabian as the Bishop of Rome (pope), after Fabian was killed in a persecution in the year 250. The Church faced not only persecution, but also opposition from within. A priest named Novatian denied the Church’s authority to forgive apostacy. Novatian and his followers believed that those who renounced the faith could not be accepted back into the Church even if they had repented. Novatian had himself consecrated as a rival Bishop of Rome, thereby becoming an anti-pope. St. Cornelius called a council of bishops together to settle the dispute. The council condemned Novatian’s view. Pope Cornelius, backed by St. Cyprian and other bishops, upheld the Church’s teaching, and allowed sinners to do penance and return to the Church. In 253, St. Cornelius was exiled by the authorities, and died a martyr soon afterward.

St. Cyprian was a famous lawyer and orator in North Africa. He didn’t become a Christian until age forty-six, then later became a priest and the bishop of Carthage. St. Cyprian went into hiding during the Roman persecution of 250, to allow himself to continue ministering to his people. He, like Cornelius, had to deal with the beliefs of Novatian. During this time another priest took over his position and then forgave all those who renounced the faith without requiring any penance of them at all. This position was too lenient, and Cyprian succeeded in having it condemned by the Church. New persecutions broke out under Emperor Valerian. St. Cyprian was arrested and tried for being a Christian. When he was read his death sentence, he exclaimed “Blessed be God!” He was martyred in 258. 

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⦁ How would you describe Jesus to someone who does not know him?

⦁ What was the reaction of the disciples when Jesus told him about his passion, death and resurrection? Do you think they were confused?

⦁ Why was it important for Peter to not impede God’s plan?

⦁ What strikes you about the story of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian?

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Serve food that your family’s favorite Bible heroes ate. Make a first century Palestine “charcuterie” board by creating a plate of appetizers that includes rustic loaves of bread or crackers, including those made with ancient grains, such as spelt or millet. Finger foods include dried fruits such as figs, dates or apricots, and sliced olives. Ensure that pits are fully removed for the safety of small teeth. Add some hummus and pita bread and enjoy!

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked questions of his disciples. Playing this simple game will not only remind us of the Gospel, but also improves deductive reasoning.

One person thinks of an object and the other players to ask up to 20 “yes” or “no” questions to determine, through the process of elimination, what the object is. To narrow down the categories, consider questions such as: Is it living or has it lived? Is it an animal? Does it grow from the ground? Is it a vegetable or mineral?

The winner is determined by whether the person who thought of an object is able to successfully answer each of the 20 questions without giving away the object OR whether the person who is asking the questions is able to correctly guess the object in 20 or less questions.

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Personalized Prayer Columns

Choose a word in each column. Then read your prayer starting with your circled word in the left column and reading across. You can add a word at the end of the column if you have a specific word you want for your prayer. Have each family member share the prayer they created.

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